Jaime Jaquez Jr.'s bounce-back year carrying short-handed Heat

Already missing Tyler Herro, the Miami Heat took on the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday without leading scorer Norman Powell. Thanks to Jaime Jaquez Jr., Miami easily moved to 4-1 on the season.

The Heat's third-year forward scored 28 points as Miami defeated Charlotte, 144-117. Jaquez logged a plus/minus of +43 in his 28 minutes off the bench, shooting 9-of-14 with five assists and four rebounds.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. is much better this season

For the season, Jaquez is averaging 18.8 points, 4.3 assists and 3.2 rebounds. That's a huge step up from last season's 8.6 PPG, 2.5 assists and 4.4 rebounds and even better than his rookie season in 2023-24, where Jaquez finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting and ninth in the Sixth Man of the Year vote.

His second season was the definition of a sophomore slump. Jaquez shot worse on field goals, three-pointers and free throws, struggling so much that he dropped out of the Heat rotation late in the season. In the playoffs, Jaquez appeared in only three of the Heat's four games, playing only 19 minutes.

Jaquez may have lost confidence, or it may have been a result of Miami's chaotic season. Jimmy Butler forced a trade, Terry Rozier disappointed and the team brought in Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson and Davion Mitchell at the trade deadline to shake things up.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. is thriving with more responsibility

The Heat have trusted Jaquez to play with the ball this season, a move that utilizes his court vision while minimizing some of his shooting struggles — Jaquez made his first three-pointer of the season Tuesday, shooting 2-of-4. He's also been consistently getting to the hoop.